Clothes rack



Feb. 28, 1956 I D, co T 2,736,437

CLOTHES RACK Filed July 31, 1953 dan INVENTOR. Hmeow D. BOYCOTT' BY HISATTORNEYS. Hake/s, K1501; Fosrek & Hank/s nited States Patent CLOTHESRACK Harold D. Boycott, Huntington Park, Calif.

Application July 31, 1953, Serial No. 371,554

1 Claim. (Cl. 211-426) The present invention relates to a new andimproved clothes rack. More specifically, it relates to a new andimproved clothes rack which can be conveniently used in drying variouswashed garments.

The subject of clothes racks is, of course, very old. Traditionally, anumber of devices such as, for example, clothes lines or a series offixed rods mounted from a central supporting structure, have been usedin drying clothes. At times, various members such as, for example,wooden clothes hangers have been used in conjunction with such priorstructures. All of these prior devices have been reasonably eifective inuse. Unfortunately, however, they are limited in their application tothe environment in which they were designed to be used. Thus, forexample, a common clothes line cannot be easily and conveniently usedwithin a hallway or within a bathroom because no supporting structuresare found in such locations to support the various terminal portions ofthe clothesline. Similarly, the prior devices utilizing rods to supportgarments being dried cannot be readily used within a household for thesimple reason that there is not room for such devices. Hooks and othersimilar constructions used within houses are not generally acceptablefor use in drying various garments because such constructions areusually adjacent to a wall within a closet. It is undesirable to placesuch devices within plain sight in a bathroom, or the like, so that theycan be used in drying garments because of their unseeming architecturalappearance, as well as their tendency to get in the way of those whomust, by necessity, use the area in which they are placed.

The advent of modern synthetic garments has made the production of newand improved clothes racks, which can be used easily and conveniently indrying various washed garments, a virtual necessity. Certain of thesesynthetics such as, for example, Orlon, when washed must be hungcompletely wet without any wringing being accomplished following thewashing step if they are to dry without undesirable creases beingpresent. The fact that the garments of such materials must be hung up todry completely wet has necessitated the production of a new and improvedtype of clothes rack which can easily and conveniently be placed over abathtub, or other similar drain structures, when necessary. A device ofthe type described, however, must not be limited in its application tobeing used with a bathtub if it is to have general utility.

Prior devices have been suggested to be used as clothes racks overbathtubs and over other similar drain structures. One such device isshown in the patent to Berdon, No. 1,857,617. This construction consistsessentially of a plurality of separate leg elements adapted to befastened together so as to set on the edges of a bathtub supporting arather elaborate series of rods. Because of the nature of the legelements in this prior patent, they are apt to slide, dumping the entireclothes rack, if an unseeming blow is struck at the rack proper. Also,the prior art device shown in the Berdon patent isrelatively expensiveto manufacture and occupies so large a space as to be unavailable foruse by the average traveler. It will be realized by those reading thisspecification that a prime market for synthetic garments at the presenttime is to such travelers. Applicants clothes rack otters an extremeadvantage in that garments can be washed out in the average hotel roomin the evening, dried on the clothes rack, and worn again the followingmorning. Thus, the

traveler in this modern day and age carrying with him synthetic garmentsmade of such materials such as Dacron, Nylon, Orlon, Vicara or the like,can dispense with the large wardrobe which travelers in years gone byhad to carrry with them. To match 'such wardrobes, modern clothes rackswhich are conveniently opened from a very small size are a necessity. eFurther, such modern clothes racks must be very reliable in use and mustbe capable of being positioned in a number of diverse locations.

It is an object of the present invention to produce a new and improvedtype of clothes rack of the broad category described in the precedingparagraphs. A further object of the invention is to produce a new andimproved type of clothes rack which is relatively small in size butwhich is collapsible in nature to an even smaller dimension so that itcan be easily and conveniently carried by the traveler. A clothes rackof the type herein described to conform to these objects must be of suchlight weight that it does not appreciably add to the luggage weight of atraveler such as for example, one traveling by aircraft.

A still further object of the invention is to produce a device of theclass described which can easily and conveniently be located for useabove a bathtub, in a hall, or in other similar locations. A stillfurther object of the invention is to produce a device of the classdescribed which is extremely effective in use, which is very simple tomanufacture, and which can easily be changed from a closed position toan open position or, conversely, from an open position to a closedposition by one relatively unskilled in the art of manipulatingmechanical contrivances. Still further objects of the invention, as wellas the advantages of it, will be more fully apparent from the balance ofthis application, including the appended claims.

The new and improved clothes rack produced in accordance with theteachings of the invention is quite clearly illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a side view of the new rack of the invention in an open oroperative position;

Fig. 2 shows a similar side view of the rack of the invention in aclosed position ready for use by the traveler;

Fig. 3 illustrates the rack of the invention taken at line 33 of Fig. lof the drawing;

Fig. 4 shows an end view of a rack of the invention taken at line 4-4 ofFig. l of the drawing;

Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the new rack of the inventiontaken at line 5--5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 illustrates a complete end view of the new rack of .the inventiontaken from the right-hand side of Fig. l of the drawing, as shown; and

Fig. 7 illustrates the manner of application of the new device of thisinvention.

In all of the figures of the drawings, like numerals are used todesignated like parts for convenience.

Briefly, the above-related objects or aims of the invention are achievedby forming a new and improved clothes rack consisting essentially of acentral rack por tion containing means adapted to hold variousclothessupporting elements to which there are attached hook arm-likesupports and a single closed loop-support element. All three of thesesupports, that is, both the hook-like supports and the closed support,are appended from opposed dimensions of the central body portion.

Perhaps this construction will be more apparent from the accompanyingdrawing. In Fig. l the new device herein described is shown asconsisting essentially of a central rack portion 11 containing sidewalls 12 and 13 and a lower bottom wall 14, as illustrated in Figs. 3and 4. The upper portions of the side walls 12 and 13 are provided witha series of notches 16 primarily adapted to. hold common wire clotheshangers or the like. It is to be understood, however, that the inventionis not restricted to notches such as are specifically shown. Thus, forexample, other equivalent means, including holes bored within the sidewalls 12 and 13, may be substituted for these notches. It is preferred,however, not to utilize such alternative constructions inasmuch as theirmanner of use is comparatively complicated when considered inconjunction with the manner of use of the notches 16. These latternotches may be brought into operation by merely placing a common coathanger upon them. It is to be understood, however, that these notches 16need not be employed, and that clothes such as, for

example, stockings or the like, may be draped over the walls 12 and 13of the central rack portion 11. In order that there will be no damagedone to such garments, the top edges of these walls 12 and 13, as wellas the edges of the notches 16, must be completely rounded so that noburrs or other metal parts of a similar nature project.

The end 18 of the central rack portion 11 is provided with a pluralityof square notches 19, as is best shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing.Adjacent to this end holes 22 and 23 are positioned within the walls 12and 1-3 in direct line with one another at right angles to either of thewalls. The holes 22 and 23 are traversed by a short metal section 24,the opposed extremities of which terminate. in straight sections 27which are parallel to one, another and which are at right angles to thesection 24. Each of these parallel extensions extends approximately afraction of an inch longer than the distance from the holes 22 and 23 tothe adjacent end 18 of the central rack portion 11. Both of them connectto longer segment rods 28 terminating in hooks 29, the extremities ofwhich holding resilient tips 30. The entire as sembly composed of thesections 24 and 27, the rods 28, the hooks 29, and the tips 30 is knownas the hook arms 25. Preferably, but not necessarily, these tips 3% aremade of a relatively resilient material which will not mar any surfacewith which they may come in contact. A preferred material is relativelypure rubber. Other materials which are, however, usable include suchsubstances as Nylon, Neoprene and polyethylene and various vinylpolymers, such as, for example, polymers of polyvinyl chloride, polymersof polyvinyl acetate, polymers of polyvinyl butyrate, or the like.

Suspended on the arms 28 and hooks 29 is a small fastener element 32,best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawmgs as consisting of a central bodyshank 33- connected to curved ends 34 grasping the sections 27 oradapted to grasp the segment rods 28 depending upon the position of theshank 33. As shown in Fig. 1, the fastener shank 33 is of such adiameter as to fit snugly within the square notches 19 locking theentire hook arm elements 25 in any fixed extended location. Thisfastener 32 is also capable of sliding throughout the length of thesegment rods 28 over the bends of the hook elements 29 as far as thetips 30, these tips keeping the fastener from sliding off the hook arms25. When the device is being folded, the fastener 32 can be easilyremoved from the location shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawing and canhe slipped into the position on the hook elements 29 indicated in Fig. 2of the drawing. When this is done, the entire hook arm assembly may berotated about the holes 22 and 23 so that these hook arms rest againstthe ad acent side walls 12 and 13 of the central rack portion 11. Thus,in this closed position, the hook arm assembly, as shown, does notproject from the rack portion 11.

A closed shank portion 40 is atta t th Central rack portion 11 by meansof a curved bottom bend 42 extending around a pivot 36 positionedcentrally between the top and bottom portions of the rack 11 and betweenthe walls 12 and 13 adjacent to the end of this rack. It is to beunderstood that this pivot 36 is attached to the walls 12 and 13 by anyconvenient means, such as, for example, welding. Between the pivot 36and the end 20 there is positioned a rectangular ratchet element 37fastened between the side walls 12 and 13 by means of lugs 38, asindicated in Fig. 5 of the drawing. It may conveniently consist of aU-shaped piece of metal, the ends of which are welded to the side walls12 and 13. Other equivalent means can, however, be used.

The closed shank portion 40 consists of a straight section 41 appendedto the curved bottom portion at, indicated above, extending to a topcurved portion 43 which nearly extends so as to form a 180 bend backtoward the shank portion 41). Attached to the bend 43 is a secondstraight portion 44 which, as is shown in Fig. 1, extends back towardthe body of the device nearly parallel to the straight portion 41. It,in turn, terminates in a curved bottom section 45 containing a pluralityof ratchet notches 47 adapted to coact with the rectangular ratchetelement 37 so as to hold the closed shank 49 in any desired position infixed relationship to the central rack portion 11 by virtue of thewedging action exerted upon this closed shank portion as will be morefully explained. The section of the top bend 43 removed from the centralrack portion 11 is preferably covered with a strip of tubing of aresilient non-marring material 49. This material may be any of thematerials being indicated as capable of use in the formation of the tips31).

Perhaps the function of the ratchet notches 47 will be most fullyapparent from Fig. 5 of the drawing. Here it is seen that these ratchetnotches 47 are of approximately the same shape as the ratchet element 37so that the curved section 45 of the closed shank 4i may be positionedwith the two elements coacting together. Pressure exerted in a clockwisedirection, as indicated when the device is positioned as in Fig. 1, uponthe shank 40 tends to hold these elements in a fixed relationshippreventing them from slipping apart. They may be readily easilydisengaged by pressing down on the curved portion 45 so as to tend torotate the entire closed shank 40 in the reverse direction. When sodisengaged, the closed shank 40 may be rotated about the pivot 36 so asto lie within the side walls 12 and 13 of the central rack portion 11,as clearly indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. When both the elementsand are in the positions indicated in Fig. 2, the entire device isadapted to be packed. This position is known as the closed position ofthe device, whereas the position of the elements indicated in Fig. 1' isknown as the open position of the construction shown.

Perhaps the use of the device will be most fully apparent in conjunctionwith Fig. 7 of the drawing. Here there is shown that the central rackportion 11 may be hung between a shower curtain rod 51 and an adjacentwall 52 over a bathtub 53 by virtue of the books 29 engaging the curtainrod 51 and the closed shank 40 leaning against the wall 52-. In thepreferred construction of the invention, the closed shank portion 40 ispreferably of slightly longer dimension than the hook elements 25 inorder that in use the central rack portion 11 will be parallel to theground or the floor of the room in which the device is used.

A wedging action induced initially by the weight of the entire structurenormally holds the clothes rack of the invention in place, as shown inFig. 7. When clothes are placed upon the rack by means of the notches16, the added weight of these clothes serves to more completely wedgethe rack in position between the two supporting elements, that is, thecurtain rod 51 and the wall 52, as

shown. Thus, by virtue of this construction, it is virtually impossiblefor the rack of the invention to become disengaged from supportingstructures in use. This possibility of disengagement has been a majordisadvantage of the prior art competitive constructions designed for asimilar or related purpose.

As indicated in Fig. 6 of the drawing, the tips 30 on the hook arms 25are spread relatively far apart with the central closed shank 40 beingpositioned midway between them. The view in Fig. 6, as is quite readilyapparent, is taken from the end 18 of the construction shown. This typeof positioning of the elements enables the new clothes rack of theinvention to utilize threepoint suspension, preventing lateraldisplacement of the device or swinging in use.

It is to be realized by those skilled in the art that theherein-described and disclosed invention is not restricted to use abovebathtubs. It can be used above all manner of similar wash basins inwhich supporting elements are located. It may be easily and convenientlyused in hallways, in narrow closets, in doorways, or the like. Thevarious elements herein described can be manufactured from a variety ofmaterials. Preferably, nonrusting metal such as, for example, aluminum,is used for the various parts specified. Metals, such as iron coated invarious manners, can also be used. The body shank portion of theinvention can conveniently in many instances be composed of a resinousmaterial, such as, for example, a polyester resin or a phenolic resin.It is preferred, however, that in all cases the hook elements 25, aswell as the closed shank element 40, be created from a relativelyresilient strong metal, such as iron or aluminum.

The herein disclosed and described invention is capable of widemodification, such as is indicated above. Such modifications are to beconsidered as a part of the present inventive concept in so far as theyare defined by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A new and improved folding clothes rack which comprises: a central rackportion comprising parallel side walls; a bottom wall connecting saidparallel side walls; opposed aperture means within said side wallsadjacent to a first end of said rack; notch means in said rack at saidfirst end; rod-like hook arm means positioned through said apertures andextending substantially parallel to said side walls, said hook arm meansterminating in hook elements; means carried by said hook arm means forcoacting with said notch means in said end of said rack portion toprevent movement of said hook arm means with respect to said centralrack portion; shank means pivotally mounted on a second end of saidcentral rack portion removed from said first end, said shank meanscomprising an upstanding rod portion, a curved section attached to saidportion removed from said central rack portion, and a shank portionextending from said curved portion back toward said central rackportion, said shank portion carrying at its lower extremity a pluralityof first ratchet means adapted to be positioned adjacent to said sidewall portions; and second ratchet means positioned upon said centralrack portion adjacent said second end, said second ratchet means beingcapable of coacting with said first ratchet means on said shank portionto prevent movement of said shank means with respect to said centralrack portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,164,538 Madden Dec. 14, 1915 1,185,525 Morris May 30, 1916 1,191,782Harrison July 18, 1916 1,312,947 Billington Aug. 12, 1919 2,550,150Hartley Apr. 24, 1951 2,639,816 Fogg May 26, 1953

